SPORTS
Williams battle represents struggle any younger sibling can identify with
History has witnessed many epic battles and among those battles it has seen the triumph of many great underdogs.
SOCCER
First game rain-out preludes mens soccer win
The MSU men’s soccer team topped Cleveland State 2-0 on Sunday at Old College Field in its only game of the weekend. The Spartans’ game against Bowling Green Friday was washed away by rain at halftime of a scoreless game.
FOOTBALL
Special teams suspect in win
As special teams hampered the MSU football team during Saturday’s season opener against Central Michigan, it was the one weak spot that carried over from last season - despite an entire summer of troubleshooting.Central linebacker James King was the catalyst of the Spartans’ special teams debacle when he blocked senior punter Craig Jarrett in the first quarter.But when he blocked three more punts in the second half, he took his performance to another level by tying the NCAA Division I-A individual and team record for most punts blocked in a game.MSU head coach Bobby Williams said the problems with the punt team need to be rectified immediately.“The blocks all came off of the edge.
BASKETBALL
Cleaves waves bye to Pistons, traded for Barry , draft pick
One of East Lansing’s most beloved sports heroes will no longer be just a stone’s throw away from the MSU campus. The Detroit Pistons traded point guard Mateen Cleaves, who guided MSU to a NCAA men’s basketball national championship in 2000, to the Sacramento Kings on Friday. For Cleaves, Detroit acquired swingman Jon Barry, 32, and a first-round draft pick that cannot come before 2004. Ironically, the deal consummated on Cleaves’ 24th birthday, a year and a day after he signed a 3-year, $4.1 million contract with Detroit. Cleaves, a Flint native, played only one season for his childhood favorite Pistons, but his reputation as a local kid with a big heart and an incredible work ethic instantly made him one of the Pistons’ most popular players. That’s why many in the area were shocked to hear the news that Cleaves was being shipped to the West Coast after only one year in Motown. “It’s an obstacle for him,” said former Spartan cager and 11-year NBA veteran Steve Smith, who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs this summer.
SPORTS
Womens soccer tops Dayton, loses big Sunday
The Spartans squeaked past Dayton 2-1 on Friday, but suffered their first loss of the season in a 6-0 pummeling by Kentucky on Sunday.
SPORTS
Smith, Heathcote among seven athlete hall of fame inductees
Homecoming is arriving about a month early for Sue Ertl. The 1979 MSU golf All-American, who now teaches at a Florida country club, will visit East Lansing for the first time in years for today’s MSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction. Ertl, the only female athlete in the seven-member 2001 induction class, said her brother and three sisters are coming in from Grand Rapids to share the induction with her. “It’s going to be a great time to reminisce the past and remember the great times I had around campus,” said Ertl, a Big Ten medalist in 1977 and 1978.
VOLLEYBALL
Erbe: respect for opponenets key in tournament
Listening to Spartan volleyball players and coaches talk, you’d think they were rehearsing an Aretha Franklin song. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” Head coach Chuck Erbe knows those seven letters are embedded in the minds of his players as they look to make it two tournament titles in a row at the Coca-Cola Spartan Invitational this weekend. “I’ve always told them the first rule of war is to respect your opponent,” Erbe said.
SPORTS
Toloff earns Big Ten athlete of week
It didn’t take long for freshman Chris Toloff to earn Big Ten honors. After his first collegiate race ever, the cross country runner was named this week’s Big Ten cross country athlete of the week, by posting a second place, 20:24:27 performance in the four-mile at the Grand Valley State Fall Classic on Aug.
VOLLEYBALL
Kopka battles her nerves, plays big to win starting spot as freshman
On a team where experience is minimal and youth is abundant, Spartan volleyball head coach Chuck Erbe needs some of the youth to mature quickly. Freshman outside hitter Michelle Kopka - one of seven freshmen on the team - took steps in the right direction in Friday and Saturday’s MSU Volleyball Classic.
FOOTBALL
College football know-it-alls say MSU, Nebraska will win, split on rest
College football know-it-alls say MSU, Nebraska will win, split on rest Two weeks of college football have passed without MSU playing, but now fans can dust off their Spartan helmet grills and break out the rest of their tailgating gear.
FOOTBALL
CMU no big deal? Think again before ruling Chips out; history can happen
With Saturday’s matchup between MSU and Central Michigan around the corner, the media, fans, players and coaches have been packing on the hype. But with every team comes first game jitters and questions marks.
SPORTS
No. 3 field hockey team falls to Stanford, but seeks revenge on Pacific over weekend
No. 3 MSU took the highest ranking in school history to the West Coast this weekend but was unable to bring a perfect record back to East Lansing. Stanford (2-2) handed the Spartans their first loss of the season - a 2-1 defeat Friday in Palo Alto, Calif.
SPORTS
Womens soccer team doesnt overpower Bowling Green, but gets win over Western
Just looking at the statistics sheet, you would think MSU embarrassed Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Old College Field. After all, the Spartans peppered the Falcon net with 29 shots, compared with the three attempts Bowling Green (1-0-1) managed to direct at the Spartan goal. But Falcon goalkeeper Erika Flanders only let one shot past her - making 17 saves - as the teams battled to a 1-1 tie. MSU (1-0-1) jumped ahead 2:53 into the game as sophomore defender Andrea Sied took an assist from sophomore midfielder Trisha Kenny and buried a shot past Flanders. The lead held up until the 31:24 mark, when Falcon forward Jill Conover bounced a shot off a MSU defender and past Spartan goalkeeper Stacy Heller to knot the game at 1-1. MSU outshot the Falcons 19-1 for the remainder of the game, but couldn’t break the deadlock. The Spartans had better fortune in their season-opening tilt with Western Michigan (0-1) on Friday. Sophomore midfielder Erica Whatley and sophomore forward Tiffany Laskowski each banked an unassisted goal in the first half to propel MSU to a 2-0 victory. Heller stopped four Bronco shots for the shutout. The Spartans next play Dayton at 3 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
MSU shines in Classic, finishes undefeated
The MSU volleyball team can check one goal off its to-do list after winning all four of its matches at this weekend’s MSU Volleyball Classic at Jenison Field House. “To win this tournament on our home court was a big goal of ours,” senior outside hitter Erin Hartley said. The Spartans defeated Auburn 3-1 and Dayton 3-1 on Friday and capped the tournament with 3-1 victories against Denver and Western Michigan on Saturday. “These early season victories will help the team become more sure of itself,” sophomore setter Nikki Colson said. “It’s an incredible confidence booster.
VOLLEYBALL
Smith, Colson, Hartley stand out for Spartans, create team balance
Good teams usually have one player it can turn to in pressure situations. Very good teams may have two.
SOCCER
Baum charts 300th victory
The game wasn’t even finished when MSU men’s soccer head coach Joe Baum’s celebration began. With less than a minute to play, Baum soaked in his historic win as several Spartans doused him in watercooler glory. This was more than a solid 6-1 season-opening victory against Wisconsin-Green Bay in the MSU/Radisson Soccer Classic Saturday - this was 25-year MSU head coach Baum’s 300th career win. When the final buzzer sounded, Old College Field turned into “Joe Baum Field” as the 410 fans cheered and held up signs reading “300,” and his team rushed toward him with congratulations. “It’s hard to believe,” Baum said.
SPORTS
Cross country starts season
The MSU men’s cross country team races off to start its season at the Grand Valley State Fall Classic at 5 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
MSU Classic opens season, young team shaking nerves in tourney
A bundle of nerves. Spartan volleyball coach Chuck Erbe knows his team will be battling its emotions as well as Auburn, Dayton, Denver and Western Michigan this weekend.
SPORTS
Crew to hold informational meetings
The MSU women’s crew is holding a pair of informational meetings to recruit interested individuals at 4:30 p.m.
SPORTS
MAC games test team for Big 10
In its only exhibition game, the MSU women’s soccer team notched a 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference last week. But head coach Tom Saxton isn’t overlooking the two MAC schools visiting MSU’s campus on the Spartans’ regular season-opening weekend. MSU takes on Western Michigan at 4 p.m.